portrait of the author as a young man on vacation
Had a late dinner with Jaimes and DiTolvo at Six Arms that night. Sang a chorus of "Ruby" after ordering their Ruby ale like we always do. Picked up Jaimes and DiTolvo's ersatz German accents. Went to sleep on D.'s floor next to Denny. It was just as loud as I remembered it, constant drunks and broken fanbelts passing by. Woke up and had breakfast with Jaimes - DiTolvo was already grumpy and stressed since the Carnival was the next day and got cranky when I asked if she wanted food, but called us back to give us money for cigarettes as per her usual priorities. Parted with Jaimes who had a coffee date and walked back to D.'s place with an Odwalla and a couple of fresh plums and told her, either you eat these or I shove them up your ass. She ate them.
Met up with Jaime and Dimitri and hung out all afternoon running errands and visiting his mom in the hospital. Got to talk to Donna, whom I hadn't spoken with in ages, and began plans to visit Seattle for Thanksgiving and make a big chosen family dinner. Parted with J & D for a few hours to get a nap in and run other errands. Tried to have a nice nostalgic sit-down at Vivace near my old apartment on Denny and check my email, but apparently they've started not running their wi-fi signal on weekends. Decided that I do not like this ugly faux community-building stupid hipster-driven backlash against my poor iBook and took my business elsewhere, ta very much. Just as well as Vivace was making me inappropriately nostalgic for past relationships and I was able to leave before I fired off any ill-thought-out emails.
Caleb came down from B'ham and he and Jaimes and I went first to the Crescent, but were driven away by awful contemporary country karaoke. Went to Kincora's and split another pitcher and played a few rounds on an old-school sit-down arcade machine and negotiated their scary, disgusting bathroom with mixed results. Met Jaime and Dimitri and a handful of friends I hadn't seen in a while at the Cuff - Dimitri made me swear earlier to show up and not go home before 1 AM, since I almost always begged off or petered out early on Saturday nights. Flirted with promising results and closed down the bar waiting for the payoff, but got cockblocked by a newcomer and left grumpy and bluballed. Got up the next day and killed time before Carnival Reverie. Showed up to help and was told I wasn't needed, went and killed more time. Show finally got underway with a bang - fantastic performance by Jesus and the Bobcats (Monktail Creative Music Concern) in particular, especially the girls they got to go-go dance onstage with the big wooden Jesus head. "WHO WANTS TO SUCK JESUS'S COCK? WHO WANTS TO BEAR THE GRANDSON OF GOD????", all set to raucous surf music - that's entertainment.
Had a great time during the Carnival's first half, but figured out that no one that year was particularly interested in directing the volunteers. I got an hour's break and got some food and wandered around before getting stuck at the merch booth all night, but Jaimes was stuck videotaping the entire show from 7 PM on and hadn't eaten since breakfast. Began winding down due to dehydration and lack of sleep and developed a hammering migraine, unfortunately just as Ignis Devoco Fire Circus was going on about 1 AM. Found DiTolvo and tried to explain to her that I needed to leave and wanted to borrow her apartment key, but she was in her Carnival mindset and blew me off. Stumbled out of Neumo's looking for DiTolvo's roommate at her work, found her but couldn't interrupt her floor show to get her key. Was really sick by this time and staggering around like I was high, not able to bear the light and noise on the street. Sat down on a curb with my head in my hands and got hassled by a cop who thought I was drunk. Afraid of getting run in, I called Jaime at 1:30 in the morning and he picked me up and took me to a friend's place he's housesitting to sleep. Thank God for chosen family. (Still royally pissed at DiTolvo and staying away from her until I'm un-pissed and in command of my tongue.)
Spent Monday hanging out at the friend's house with Jaime, who'd had a week that made mine look stress-free. Got junk food and beer, self-medicated ourselves and played video games all day. Passed out early. Hitched a ride with him to SoDo early early this morning since he had to work, then bused downtown and thence to Capitol Hill. Finally picked up a wi-fi signal at Vivace's, only to realize I'd left my iBook charger at the house. Came to the Online Cafe to use the computers and get snubbed by the barista girl like old times. Did an online pre-check-in and printed my boarding pass for tomorrow. Meeting Jaimes for breakfast at Glo's in a few. Need to call Zach for hangouts. Might run out to the U District for a bubble tea and a visit to my old comic book shop if I'm still awake after waffles and bacon. Freezing my ass off in my short-sleeved shirt and shorts and can't wait to get to Memphis where summer knows how to fucking act already, sheesh.
Met up with Jaime and Dimitri and hung out all afternoon running errands and visiting his mom in the hospital. Got to talk to Donna, whom I hadn't spoken with in ages, and began plans to visit Seattle for Thanksgiving and make a big chosen family dinner. Parted with J & D for a few hours to get a nap in and run other errands. Tried to have a nice nostalgic sit-down at Vivace near my old apartment on Denny and check my email, but apparently they've started not running their wi-fi signal on weekends. Decided that I do not like this ugly faux community-building stupid hipster-driven backlash against my poor iBook and took my business elsewhere, ta very much. Just as well as Vivace was making me inappropriately nostalgic for past relationships and I was able to leave before I fired off any ill-thought-out emails.
Caleb came down from B'ham and he and Jaimes and I went first to the Crescent, but were driven away by awful contemporary country karaoke. Went to Kincora's and split another pitcher and played a few rounds on an old-school sit-down arcade machine and negotiated their scary, disgusting bathroom with mixed results. Met Jaime and Dimitri and a handful of friends I hadn't seen in a while at the Cuff - Dimitri made me swear earlier to show up and not go home before 1 AM, since I almost always begged off or petered out early on Saturday nights. Flirted with promising results and closed down the bar waiting for the payoff, but got cockblocked by a newcomer and left grumpy and bluballed. Got up the next day and killed time before Carnival Reverie. Showed up to help and was told I wasn't needed, went and killed more time. Show finally got underway with a bang - fantastic performance by Jesus and the Bobcats (Monktail Creative Music Concern) in particular, especially the girls they got to go-go dance onstage with the big wooden Jesus head. "WHO WANTS TO SUCK JESUS'S COCK? WHO WANTS TO BEAR THE GRANDSON OF GOD????", all set to raucous surf music - that's entertainment.
Had a great time during the Carnival's first half, but figured out that no one that year was particularly interested in directing the volunteers. I got an hour's break and got some food and wandered around before getting stuck at the merch booth all night, but Jaimes was stuck videotaping the entire show from 7 PM on and hadn't eaten since breakfast. Began winding down due to dehydration and lack of sleep and developed a hammering migraine, unfortunately just as Ignis Devoco Fire Circus was going on about 1 AM. Found DiTolvo and tried to explain to her that I needed to leave and wanted to borrow her apartment key, but she was in her Carnival mindset and blew me off. Stumbled out of Neumo's looking for DiTolvo's roommate at her work, found her but couldn't interrupt her floor show to get her key. Was really sick by this time and staggering around like I was high, not able to bear the light and noise on the street. Sat down on a curb with my head in my hands and got hassled by a cop who thought I was drunk. Afraid of getting run in, I called Jaime at 1:30 in the morning and he picked me up and took me to a friend's place he's housesitting to sleep. Thank God for chosen family. (Still royally pissed at DiTolvo and staying away from her until I'm un-pissed and in command of my tongue.)
Spent Monday hanging out at the friend's house with Jaime, who'd had a week that made mine look stress-free. Got junk food and beer, self-medicated ourselves and played video games all day. Passed out early. Hitched a ride with him to SoDo early early this morning since he had to work, then bused downtown and thence to Capitol Hill. Finally picked up a wi-fi signal at Vivace's, only to realize I'd left my iBook charger at the house. Came to the Online Cafe to use the computers and get snubbed by the barista girl like old times. Did an online pre-check-in and printed my boarding pass for tomorrow. Meeting Jaimes for breakfast at Glo's in a few. Need to call Zach for hangouts. Might run out to the U District for a bubble tea and a visit to my old comic book shop if I'm still awake after waffles and bacon. Freezing my ass off in my short-sleeved shirt and shorts and can't wait to get to Memphis where summer knows how to fucking act already, sheesh.